Joint federal and provincial announcement: Funding of more than $21 million for genomics in Québec

Montréal, December 8, 2016 - The Honourable Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science, and Dominique Anglade, Minister of Economy, Science and Innovation, announced today funding in the amount of $10.8 and $10.4 million respectively for genomics in Québec. This welcome news demonstrates the resolve of the federal and provincial governments to making research and innovation one of their core strategic priorities.

Daniel Coderre, President and CEO of Génome Québec, was pleased with our governments' renewed support of the excellent genomics work being carried out in Québec universities. The funding will primarily be used to finance genomics projects that aim to find sustainable, cost-effective solutions for the environment and natural resources.

The teams of Sébastien Sauvé (Université de Montréal) and Niladri Basu (McGill University) were particularly successful under the Genome Canada competition, Natural Resources and the Environment: Sector Challenges – Genomic Solutions. Among co-funded teams, Québec has also emerged as a strong leader in the forestry sector, with the pan-Canadian projects spearheaded by Jean Bousquet, Richard Hamelin and Ilga Porth, all from Université Laval.

The competition aims to promote the use of genomic approaches to address challenges facing the natural resources and environmental sectors. The research funding provided will contribute to the Canadian bio-economy and the well-being of Canadians.